Erasmus Beltayne
Appearance: Cardinal Beltayne is a pale man of lean build, and typically sports shoulder length hair parted at one side and neatly trimmed facial hair. He has an offputting matter, and his voice an odd lilting cadence (save when he is yelling, which is often.) He tends to dress in flowing crimson robes, preferring the formal wear of the office, and wears a plethora of rings and other ornaments. His weapon of choice is a greatsword that by all appearances he shouldn't be able to wield effectively; it is a relic blade of religious significance, as its grip is made from the thighbone of a saint. Personality: The Cardinal is, to put it mildly, not a nice guy. He projects an image of rightious zeal and unflinching faith to the masses, but is in truth a cruel and power hungry individual with a very strong sadistic streak. Above all however he is a liar, and is quite capable of being pleasant and even likeable when the need arises. Erasmus worked his way up the hierarchy of the Saegar church practically from the bottom, from epistolary to firebrand preacher to archbishop, and eventually cardinal. He began his seminary training brimming with enthusiasm and genuine faith - faith that was shattered upon reaching the commanding heights of the ecclesiastical orders when, inevitably, he learned The Truth. Embittered at having devoted his life to a lie, his fervor (to an outside observer) only seemed to redouble. The Cardinal subliminates his anger on heretics, 'witches', social and sexual deviants and other such undesireables, and has long since grown addicted to the power he holds over other people's lives. Even many of his peers find him vile, but he has no small following among the lower ranked clergy and devoted laypersons too ignorant to know any better. Part of this fame is owed to show trials and pogroms that stir up excitement and make the masses feel better about their lot; part of it stems from his control of the Cathedral of Our Martyred Saints in Prykeep. This enormous Gothic edifice houses many important Saegar relics, most connected to the canonized heros of the Church's earliest days, and as such is an important (and very very lucrative) pilgrimage sight. In the course of his studies Erasmus discovered a way to artificially extend his life and invigorate his body - namely through a concoction created with the blood and ground vitals of the tiny fae creatures the Saegar use to simulate their power. This has both dramatically slowed his aging and increased his strength far beyond that possible for a man of his slender build. Though in his 60's, he appears no more than 40. Taking raw magic into his body, however, is not without consequences. It has warped and twisted his flesh with malignancies he must take pains to hide. These include strange splotches and lumps on his skin, joints that bend in unnatural ways, an atrophied sense of taste, and finger/toe nails that grow into disgusting yellowed points if not filed down each and every day. This fact is known only to Erasmus himself and a tiny number of others, no more than perhaps one or two men to catch the faeries he uses for the draught (so as not to arouse suspicion by taking from the tightly controlled general stocks of the Church). Even these people do not know the reality of what they are used for. It is for this reason that he has rallied as much of the faithful as he can muster and made for Knoxwater to pledge his service to the king - faithful that include low-level priests and confessors, a well-paid bodyguard force, and most importantly a horde of poorly armed but fanatically loyal flagellants frequently drawn from the ranks of the Cathedral's pilgrims and Singarthe's most desperate, downtrodden and lost. While many of the high Saegar who know the Truth search for a better way, the Cardinal's interest lies firmly with maintaining the status quo. He is well aware that if Barric's faction prevails, his secret will eventually be brought to light.